Are Arsenal too predictable this season?
Arsenal’s attack last season were immense and pretty much carried us through the season, with an open defence and what looked like a backline who couldn’t stay solid together and were constantly conceding goals, Arsenal fans would have thought we were going to face the same challenges this season, but as the season has progressed, the backline has looked the most solid and concerns have now turned to our attackers and the lack of goals this season.
Last season our frontline were clinical and without them, we probably wouldn’t have got as far as we did. Arteta in the summer looked to beef up the defence and the midfield and for a while there, it seemed to have worked, Arsenal looked like a completely different side than last year and were playing incredible possession football. But as the season has gone on, big problems have begun to show in the frontline and the lack of goals and cohesion within the squad has left Arsenal looking lost and Arteta will a lot of problems he needs to fix.
We seem too predictable this season and what last season would have been a surprise and hard to work out, other clubs seem to have figured out our system and what were going to do. Opposition have been doubling up on our attackers and pressing them hard when they’re on the ball. Our attackers seem to have lost a bit of pace and pressure and are maybe trying to do too much.
Football ultimately is about the basics and doing the basics right, Arsenal seem to have lost the calmness in attack and are trying to do too much on the ball, which stops the consistency and the pace of the game. Players taking too long to have a shot and what looks like thinking too much and not just taking a chance. We seem to be taking the extra touch or pass that aren’t needed and it’s slowing up our game.
Last season we saw both Saka and Martinelli use their pace down the wings and draw players out from their positions so that their teammates can run into open spaces and create chances to score. Ticky tacky quick passes between each other and moving the ball around the pitch faster. For me, Arsenal always look at their best when they’re moving the ball around fast and hitting teams on the counter, with fast bursts of pace down the wings, and we just don’t seem to be capable of doing that this season.
Arteta and the club should be looking into strengthening the front line in the January transfer window, because if we don’t start finding a way to score goals, we won’t be lifting any silverware this season.
What’s your thoughts Gooners?
Daisy Mae
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I think the tactics are a huge problem. Far too many touches on the ball, far too many sideways and backwards passes, giving opposition defences loads of time to get into place. They need to move the ball much more sharply and take fewer touches on the ball. They are also missing Xhaka and (in my view) Tierney. It would be lovely to have a proper left-back who can both defend and overlap on the wing. Kiwior is a CB who cannot play left-back or invert into midfield. Tomiyasu can defend at LB, but I don’t fancy him as an inverted midfielder. In fact, Xhaka could play those roles better the Kiwior. I guess Timber was intended to be able to cover anywhere along the midfield, so there has been bad luck in losing him so early. But even so, I’m not convinced by the tactics; teams obviously know what to expect and how to line up against us.
Building from back when you have ample of space forward and when one simple long ball can penetrate all opposition defense you are just hovering around your half and passing each other effectively killing any chances of counter attack might be the worst tactic of all which we are employing now. We just forget that most of the goals are scored when ball is moving fast and opponents gets disoriented regarding their positional play. But we are giving them all the time to regroup and create tight space. From the very beginning this season we have been playing in tight spaces and no wonder goals are hard to come by. Bar Sheffield united game I can’t remember any game winning by good margin. We are of course too predictable, since opponents have double up in both flanks it seems we have been handicapped. We have to give Arteta lot of credit for how he has assembled this squad and how he has progressed until now and made us much better team. But now boasting among the most expensive squad in the world he doesn’t have any excuses. Just one thing “either deliver or leave”
Sorry – I meant Timber was supposed to cover anywhere in DEFENCE.
I have spent my life in pro theatre but as an old man now, I work chiefly with amateurs in directing pantos musicals and such like.
Arsenals far too easily predictable shape,is just like amateur actor/ singers PERSISTENTLY INSIST, – until you threaten them with expulsion “on pain of death” -in lining up across backstage in a sort of semi circular line.
Rather like Arsenal does, though in reverse with a semi circular forward facing line from wing to wing, where the ball travels sideways, very slowly and across the field from side to side and back again ad infinitum, until possession is stolen and we are under attack, but caught upfield.
Any REAL attempt to break that slow moving side to side line has become almost vanishingly rare, since BOTH wingers have become double marked, predictably so, with NO MA attempt to change that CONSTANTLY PREDICTABLE SHAPE.
A lack of change that has made former staunch supporters of MA , even such as myself to HAVE DOUBTS AS TO WHETHER OR NOT HE WILL EVER LEARN!
Constant predictable side to side passing, far too slowly, equals a severe lack of goals. HARDLY A SURPRISE TO SOME OF US!!
It has got SO bad that I call us, privately, “the slow team”!
Without REAL pace , of the ball especially, goals will always be rare!
You MIGHT think MA ought to have learned that, BY NOW!!
I would say no, because look how well we’ve performed in the big games, and even in our losses.
Any issues there may be, remember that not once has MA been able to pick our best XI because we’ve had an injury crisis since day one.
Just looking at our 4 league defeats as to why it’s not a tactical issue:
Newcastle 1-0 Arsenal
This game had a draw written all over it with both defences dominating the game, until we got screwed over by VAR. Yes we offered next to nothing in attact, but neither did they, but it was us that dominated play on their turf.
Villa 1-0 Arsenal
Despite battering City in their previous game, it was their turn be dominated by us. We created more than enough chances to win the game, but yet again, it was our finishing that cost us.
Arsenal 0-2 West Ham
Yet again, another dominaing performance, and yet again, we just cannot finish. Five glaring opportunities, and not one goal!
Fulham 2-1 Arsenal
For once, we were completely outclassed. Fulham fully deserved the win, and got their tactics spot on.
So just looking at our defeats in relation to performance, we really should have got 7pts, with Fulham being our only defeat. Even if you look at our other league games, we not struggling to create chances.
If we had a lot of performances like the Fulham one and those tough early days under MA, I’d genuinely be worried, but clearly we don’t, so there’s no major tactical issues. Maybe a bit more in game tweaking is needed, but the main issue is blatently obvious – ALL our forwards just cannot finish. We’re not clinical. They’re all out of form.
I’m optimistic because we know how good they are from what we’ve seen in previous seasons, but clearly they need more competition and rotation because of the drop off in form. Hopefully we can bring another forward in over the next month.
@Jen
Dominating and high possession stats mean zero if you can’t or don’t put the ball in the back of the net. Which all three teams managed to do against us. Jus sayin
Possession is all well and good, but there must be more to it than sideways and backwards passing
I get what both of you are saying, possession doesn’t necessarily you’re the better team, especially against sides like West Ham that allow us to have the ball.
My main point is that we’re creating plenty of clear cut opportunities, we just cannot finish. So our tactics are fine. If it was a big tactical issue then we wouldn’t create so much. Even in games won, it’s crazy we haven’t scored far more goals.
I totaly agree with you. The speed and passes were much better last year. The speed must be better. Much more intensity is required.
Good points.
I just don’t care one way or another.
He either resolves the problems at the club or he leaves. It really is as simple as that.
Arsenal have been stagnant and predictable for over twenty years – last season we seemed to have turned a corner but we are back to square one.
If he cannot deliver then get replace him – last thing we want is another repeat of Wenger dragging his feet for years…
Me2, “Over twenty years”? REALLY?
Or are you simply showing petulance born of natural diappointment at the Fulham game and vastly over exaggerating that plain wrong “over twenty years”, which were it true, which its obviously not, WOULD INCLUDE OUR INVINCIBLE TEAM OF 2004.
Invincibles, who in your OWN stated view were “stagnant and predictablel”
Why worry about the truth though, when righteous indignation and foolish exaggation are there to tempt you to write nonsense!!
May be 10 years.
The 20 was an exaggeration.
There was also the 2006 CL team.
I withdraw my exaggeration…
Well done! We all make mistakes, as I KNOW ONLY TOO WELL.
Haha! This got me bawling into my tea! Thanks for the laugh! A little cheer is needed before Liverpool lay down their marker psychologically in the next game. Cos that’s what champions do: Finish off their opponents and make sure they never dare come for the crown again
Me2
Whenever the suggestion is made to dispense with Arteta I’m reminded of who is available
OR would leave a successful job to come to us, AND some of the best coaches and managers haven’t set the world on fire on moving. We are part-way through a project by allowing a completely untried manager to reach the top – or not.
When do you breathe a sigh of relief that he reverses the setbacks or demand a new manager to have a bash?
The problem Sue P is that he won’t reverse it
Why completely change an exciting approach of last season when all that was required was some fine tuning with the addition of key personnel like Rice?
Was Rice attracted to Arsenal by the thought of playing exciting attacking football of last season or the sidewards passing slow-slow-slow style that we now play?
Arteta is a tinkerer for the sake of it.
I like him, but I don’t think he will will ever lead Arsenal to where they want to be..
That is entirely possible but all I meant was there isn’t necessarily an obvious replacement
We didn’t do sideways passing last season – generally much more forward thinking 😔
The very strange thing is that we all agree more or less on everything, and exactly all on the main cause. And we do not agree today. We have been saying all this for a long time, only lately the cry has become louder and we feel hopeless. The question is, why doesn’t Arteta do something to abolish what we all see, maybe he doesn’t see it? Or he can’t? So simple. Why if he sees it and doesn’t change it because he can’t then things are a bit like pretending. And since let’s say that he has detected it, well if we see it and not him, then what exactly has he been doing for so long?π
Many of our goals came from our through balls in the half-spaces of the final-third last season, but some opposing teams quickly blocked those spaces this season
Arteta should’ve analyzed Guardiola’s/ Klopp’s problems and how they fixed it
The simple response is that, we have no one to give the through balls this season.
We no longer have Xhaka and Partey when available this season, was used at right back.
Don’t even get started on Havertz, he’s light years away from being able to do what Xhaka did and for rice he simply lack the creative skill set.
Yeah, maybe Xhaka and Partey were way more creative than Havertz and Rice
I’d like to see Zinchenko in Xhaka’s position, because of Zinchenko’s years of experience in deep-midfield area
Gai, you are absolutely right. Pathey and Xhaka are much creative with their passes and especially Pathey’s management of tight space and his defensive quality. He remain the best midfielder Arsenal has. And then Havertz is no match with Xhaka’s positioning at left side of midfield and his interchange with Matinelli. Xhaka makes Matinelli better.
Yea, I still wonder why Arteta prefers to try Trossard at Xhaka’s position than Zichenko who plays the position for Ukrain.🤷🏽♂️
At the end of the season, if Arsenal succeed in Epl or UCL would depend on the gaffa’s decisions.
I think of all our defeats, Fulham was the worst.
Agaimst W Ham, Villa and Newcastle we had so many chances to bury the match but Fulham was just lame and weak.
Strange thing but we have 0 losses against City, United, Pool and Chelsea this season (our usual suspects).
Very interesting to see how they will bounce back against Liverpool. But reinforcements are required (at least 2).
Really Arsenal’s strength was down the wings. Newcastle showed that if you could take Saka and Martinelli out of the game you could stop the whole attack. Naturally other clubs took note. In theory if you have defenders doubling up on the wide players there should be space through the centre. But that requires players who can take advantage of that space and I am not sure Arsenal have them. Alternatively if you have overlapping full backs it becomes harder for the defenders to double up on the wingers. Again can Arsenal’s full backs provide enough of a threat going forward to do that ?
@jod
On the real, it was Brentford who neutralised our wingers last season. I think teams copped on after that, especially in the second half of the season.
Best comment I’ve read in some time. Right to the heart of the matter.
If we look at our games, most of the time, we rely on Saka and Martinelli to run on the side instead of going to the depth; they also prefer to shoot instead of the pass, which has led to a main issue of our Box strikers, not being able to score “Jesus and Nketiah.” This is so predictable for our opponents and easy to be stopped.
MA must understand this point and start using ESR and Trossard instead of Havertz to create more depth under the strikers instead of the sides.
That’s true
Havertz has Destroyed the dynamics of this team.
He shouldn’t be anywhere near the midfield as he is too SLOW, LIGHTWEIGHT AND CAN’T TACKLE. 😌
He is part of the reason why we have Struggled for goals
But Martinelli and Bukayo Saka has been Terrible in recent times.😏😏
He hasn’t enhanced the team, that is a fact!!!!!!!
But why change a system that delivers so many clear cut scoring opportunities?
Clearly it’s a personel issue. Either our forwards get their form back, or we get reinforcements in January.
If I agreed with your opinion that our system makes many clear cut opportunties, I woiuld agree with your conclusion.
But I do NOT agree, as our lack of goal chances, esp from open play, shows clearly.
We MAKE FEWER clear cut opportunities, THIS season, than all our main rivals.
Who are the ‘we’ you are referring to? There are different opinions regarding the reasons for our recent slump? Also, there are many fans who do not feel hopeless about the current situation.
Many fans can see that there has been a significant transformation of the squad in the last few years and that we are still a team to be reckoned with.
We are only half way through the season and there is much left to fight for.
We play the most predictable game of any team in the EPL For many games when we face a low block we play a tedious slow buildup. Insignificant, non passes without any meaning. We try and bore the opposition into submission lately and suffer against those who wait and hit us on the break. We seriously need a true, hard, scary CF…like Ivan Toney, to change the nature of the game, or people may get our season tickets prescribed on the NHS……..for insomnia.
What is Zinny doing with that space in midfield? The opposing winger is not getting sucked out to him instead he’s choosing to help his fullback double up on Martinelli. So that means Zinny can find some space but when do you ever see him trying to split a defense? His passing is accurate for the most part, it’s meant to be his best attribute so what is he doing in trying to create openings? I say this because I saw an interview where he said if the winger comes then Martinelli is one-on-one with the fullback and it means that the tactic worked. Then he said if the winger doesn’t come well then he has space to play another pass. I wonder what he thinks of the tactic now that our wingers have two markers
Our tactics had long became predictable because our coach sticks to particular game plan without a plan B. This is what some of us have been saying all season. Other teams have all figured out how we play. A smart coach would device means of outwitting the opposing team and win matches. It is silly to do the same thing time and again and expect a different result. Man city is never Westham. And so, why using the same tactics while playing them.
No matter who arsenal bought in in this window without the coach becoming flexible in his tactics, the story be the same.
Rotate your players and positions with your utility players according to the opponent and see the progress the team will make.
Weakest link: Harvertz. He is slowing us down this year. Then Raya makes things worse. Mr Arteta, what have you done to this team?? What do you owe these two players??